Improvement in harvesting-machines



UNITED; r'STATES- PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE ESTERLY, OF lHEART PRA'IRIE, VISGONSIN.

" IMPROVEMENT IN HARVESTING' MACHIN'ES.

i Specificatidn forming 'part of Letters Patent No. 16,873, dated March 24, 1857.

-of Harvesting-Machines; and I'do hereby declare the ihilowingjto be a i'uli, clear, and exact description of thev saine, reference being had tothe acoompanyin'g (.lrawiug, which rep -resenis in perspective so much ci' a harvesting.

machine as will illustrate my invention.

' The nature of my invention relates the construction et' thefrarne of a harvestingena chine with a ew to its being better' baianced and adjusted on its supports, and in prevent. ingside-drerie.- e Y t,

To enable others skilled in the art to :nuire and use my invention, i will proceed to de scribe the saine with reference to the drawings.

A represents the main driving and supporting wheel oi" the machine, and B the `outside supporting-wheel. The wheel A has its'bcarings in a qnadranguiar frame, C, from which extends the eutierbeamlD and rearbeani, E, which are united at their outer ends by a girt,

y F, to which `the box or bearing of the enter wheel, B, is aiiixed.

On the rear beam, E, or near to it, vare ari ranged two supports, G Gr, to which is' hinged or pivoted by'a through-rod, a, the rear end of a reach, l-Lthe forward end of said reach beingprovided with a bolster, I, and resting on -a truck, Lto which it is connected by abolt, b, so that-Lhetruck-wheeis may freely turn under said. reach.

Theiwheels of the leading truck J i are so made as to pass' under the reach when the ruachine sbeing 4turned around, and thus it may turnen. less ground. lThe tongue L may be loose, and thus 'there will be 'no weight upon l the horses necks. v

lever passing under the driyers seat, Q, sofas f io be conveniently reached by said driver, and the rear end of said 1ever..isforked, so as to straddle 'the shank oftheiifting-pieoeN. The

I edges of the two forks j'fnext to the ratchet-teeth c should be beveled or rounded oli' so as not to catch into the rack-teeth. Outside ofthe i'orksf, and connected to the bar M, are'two spring-dogs., g, which takcunder the ratchet-teeth c, and thus hold up the cutter-beam 'D at anytixed height. Should it 4be necessary to lower the cutter-beam, the

driver places his foot upon the end of the lever P, and, pressing` it downward, raisrsnp the opposite end of said lever, bringing; the forks ffagainst the springdogsg g, and, throwing them` oueof .the teeth. c, the lifting-bar and beam D rwill drop, andby releasing the lever 3? the spring-'dogs will immediately catchinto the teeth c and again'hold thebearu D suspended.v

On the rear beam,-E,' and close to the rahi ers stand l, is arranged a lever, S, which the ralrer can readily reach, and byit raise up the front f the machine. The spring-dogs g g, when this is done, slip over the inclined portions of the ratchet-teeth', bntIdtaking under and holding the square or shoulder part ofsaid teeLh the moment the ,raising by the lever S ceases. Thespring-dogs g g by their elasticity, yield tothe weight of the-machine as i-tdrops, and thus prevent all sudden jar; and in order that the raker atj his stand may do both Athe lowering and raising offthe machine a cord may run from the frontend of the lever P over suitable pulleys toor'ncar to therakers stand,so that by4 drawing on the cord the dogs will be thrown out, and the front ofthe machine drop, 'as before stated. reach and hinging it at the rear of thefmachine not onlyfacilitate the turning around of the machine, but prevent all. racking of the frame. Besides this, the lifting-piece N, spreading right andleft at its lower end, and connected to the sickle-bar D, tends to throw or remo-ve the outer weight' of the machine onto. the main-wheel side of rthe machine, and thus y counteract side draft., The reach H is placed.

inside ofthe main wheel A, or between it and the end of the sickle-bar, so `as to iake and support as much of the outer partof the ma chine as possible without interfering with the cutting of .the standing grain.

The platform Tis hinged at its front to the sickle-beam, and `its rear is supportedon the rear barE, `by 'the Screw-rods h h, by which it can be raised or lowered. Y The ralrers seat.

The spreading of the y or stand R is also made adjustable lon the rear b`ar,iE', so that as the platform is raised orlowered the seat or stand may also be raisedor lowered, said platform being the support for the rakers feet.

U is a ldash-board arrangedon the frame C for catching` the grain as it isswept in gavels f from the machine by the raker.

Theraking oli" ot' vthe; platform is as follows:

.When sufficient grainhas accumulated to make a gavel the raker turns the stalks on the plat/ .form n'ntil theirA heads are in the direction 0f' the daslbbozrd U. He thenpushes ot''the ,gravel endwise against said dash-board, the advanc ving,r motion of the machine not in the least' scattering the'grain, as `is invariably the case when the grain is pushed off siflewise;'z1nd the butts of the stalks are in the' direction ot' -the advancing motion of thc machine.

Having' thus full)y descrilwd the natlireof 'my invention, what I claim is l l. Connecting the leadingrtrnok to the main .frame b v means ot' a rigid reach or secondar) Trame, H I K, when said reach or l'rame is pivoted to ,the roar end ot' the main frame and united to the truck hyakinglmlr, and arranged injrclation to the dr'ivingr-wlwol, main frame, and platform,- snhstantiall'i7 asset l'orth.

2. The'forkod lever l, lifting-piece N, and spring .cgsg, combined and operating t0- pethertor 'lowering' the sickle-beam, as set Gm i. icsTEnLY.

VitnessOs:

A. B. S'roiiGn'roN. Tiros. 1l. UrrnnMAN. 

